TGR/Reading Committee Forms

After completing the residency requirements for all graduate degree program(s), students should apply for Terminal Graduate Registration status. This student status reflects completion of all coursework on the final Graduate Study Program (GSP). Students must form their reading committee and submit a signed and approved Reading Committee form (see below) before TGR status can be approved. TGR students will be billed at the TGR tuition rate.

Required Forms to Submit

The two forms required to submit to the Doctoral Programs Officer in order to go TGR are the Request for TGR Status Form and the Reading Committee form (see below). If there are any discrepancies between the courses you listed on your final Graduate Study Program and your transcript (i.e. the courses you ended up taking), please also submit the Academic Program Revisions form (from the “additional relevant forms” section below). Please note that, while the Request for TGR Status form notes that the deadline to submit the form is the first day of the quarter during in which the student wishes to go TGR, the Doctoral Programs Officer normally sets an earlier deadline to allow time for processing. Please adhere to any deadlines set by the Doctoral Programs Officer if this is the case.

• Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) Status Request- fill out and submit form in Student eForms section of Axess
  Doctoral students are normally eligible for TGR status when 135 quarter units of graduate residency credit are earned, including external transfer credit, when applicable. You must be finished with all regular coursework required for your graduate degree(s) (e.g., both the PhD and master's for those pursuing both at Stanford). TGR students enroll under their dissertation advisor's section of EDUC 802 (for zero units) each quarter of the regular academic year (Summer Quarter is optional). This yields a full-time student status because your work on dissertation research and writing equals (or exceeds) eight units worth of coursework. Only the Doctoral Programs Officer and the Registrar must approve your eForm, but students are also responsible for ensuring that their advisor(s) approve of their plans.
• Reading Committee Form
  At least three people must serve on your reading committee, and at least two of them must be members of the Stanford Academic Council. Most regular faculty (e.g., assistant, associate, and full professors) are on the Academic Council. Your primary dissertation advisor must be on the Academic Council. Emeriti are considered members of the Academic Council, but they cannot serve as your primary dissertation advisor (though they may serve as co-advisor). Email confirmations or digital signatures are accepted.

Additional Forms (If Applicable)

• Academic Program Revisions Form
  Use this document to make any changes or updates to your Graduate Study Program (GSP) if there are any discrepancies between your final GSP and your transcript (i.e. between the courses you were planning to take and the courses you ended up taking).
• Petition for Doctoral Committee Members
  If any members of your reading or oral exam committee are not on the Stanford Academic Council, you will need to submit this form and supporting documents. A non-Academic Council member cannot serve as your primary dissertation advisor or chair the oral exam committee, but s/he can serve on your reading and/or oral exam committee(s). They must hold a PhD and provide a curriculum vitae (see instructions on the form). You do not need to petition for Stanford Emeriti participation on your committees; they can serve without special approval. You should complete this form in full, including a brief statement in the section that says "to be completed by department", but you do not need to obtain any signatures on it. The Doctoral Programs Officer will forward the document and attachments to the Associate Dean for Educational Affairs for review and signature, if approved.
• Graduate Petition for Part-Time Enrollment- fill out and submit form in Student eForms section of Axess
  In your final quarter before TGR status, you can take a reduced course load and pay the corresponding unit-based tuition rate only if you need fewer than eight units to complete your graduate residency requirements. (For example, if you have 130 units before Autumn Quarter begins, you could petition to take only five units in autumn and pay the cheaper unit-based tuition. At the conclusion of Autumn Quarter, you would have a total of 135 residency units and could apply for TGR status effective Winter Quarter.) You, your program advisor, and a Bechtel International Center advisor (for F-1 and J-1 visa holders) should sign the form before you submit it to the Doctoral Programs Officer for final processing. The Graduate Petition for Part-Time Enrollment can only be used once during your doctoral program for the purposes of a pre-TGR quarter, and is not required for Summer Quarter enrollment. Part-time enrollment at the unit-based rate is allowable in summer. Note that being enrolled part time may cause loans to go into repayment; it is the student's responsibility to check with loan providers if applicable before applying for graduate tuition adjustment to see if this is the case with their particular provider.

Informational Documents

• Committee Composition
  This document outlines the requirements for your First Year Review, Second Year Review, Dissertation Proposal Hearing, Dissertation Reading, and Oral Exam Committees. Each is a separate and distinct committee, however, the same members often serve on more than one of your committees.